Rafael (The Santiago Brothers Book One) (23 page)

“Where exactly did he say he saw the car?”
She’d been on the phone with an officer from her department for the
last few minutes, trying to verify what her neighbor had seen.

“About six or seven houses down, on your side
of the street.”

Genie angled her neck but to no avail. “I
can’t see the car. How far out are the units?”

“About five to ten minutes, ma’am.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll keep in
touch if I see anything.” She hung up.

Rafa was at her neighbor’s, Mrs. Jennings.
Genie sent him a quick text before removing her service weapon from
its holster. If the sedan had been spotted, Huera and Montenegro
could already be nearby.

She moved
systematically around her single-story home, double-checking
windows and doors while waiting for Rafa. She prayed for backup to
arrive and no sooner had the prayer left her and made its way
towards heaven did she hear footsteps on her front porch.
Rafael…

Then the telltale sound of glass cracking
behind her stopped her heart cold. She pivoted from the window, her
gun at the ready. By the time she reached the kitchen, the intruder
would be inside and possess the element of surprise. With soft
footsteps, she made her way to the dining area opposite the
kitchen. She heard the door creak open and heavy footsteps on the
floor. Genie took a quick glance around the wall to look into the
kitchen. The back door was ajar, and glass littered the tiled
floor.

She saw no one.

The kitchen opened to a hallway on the far
side leading to her bedroom, where she suspected the intruder
possibly went. She took a step toward the kitchen to cut off the
person’s escape when she heard what sounded like muffled grunting
coming from her front porch.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large
shadowed figure in front of the living room window. It separated
into two parts. Rafa had to be struggling with someone. She raced
toward the door, and as she pulled it open, her body slammed
against it. The air whooshed from her lungs and she fell backward.
Her head knocked against something hard and immediately began to
swim. Her eyes blinked back tears. Putting a hand up to her head,
her eyes saucered. Her gun! Where was her weapon?

She felt her hair being pulled and she cried
out in pain. She struggled to untangle her hair from her attacker’s
grasp. A loud crash momentarily split the intruder’s focus, and she
pulled away to see someone from the outside tumbling over the couch
and stopping with a thud on the ground. Whoever it was just came
through her front window!

“Rafael!” she screamed.

The front door was kicked in, and a menacing
figure shadowed by the darkness loomed over her. She grunted as an
arm went around her neck, yanking her backward. The person in front
lunged forward. She cried out in pain from the sting of a cold
blade piercing her left breast.

“Nooooo!”

Rafael?
She heard a gurgled sound from her own lips and as the blade was
yanked out, felt the sharp pain of tearing flesh. She lifted a
trembling hand to her wound and cried out again as warm lifeblood
seeped through her fingers. She struggled to crawl away, but her
strength failed.
Move, Genie, move! Stay alive!
She moaned as the pain subsided and her heart
slowed. Her body shivered involuntarily. The stench of her own
blood assailed her nostrils, and her ears rung with the sounds of
grunts and groans and constant thumping. She didn’t hear any
sirens.

Yet, she pushed herself to keep moving.

She had no idea where she laid her cell phone
but she had a phone in the kitchen and she would make it there, if
it were the last thing she did. A shot rang out. She covered her
ears with her hands, her eardrums ringing in pain.

“Genie!”

She heard
her name being called but when she opened her mouth, nothing came
out. Her hands slipped out from underneath her and her face hit the
wood floor. Strong hands gripped her arms and flipped her over
carefully. She had no strength to fight.
God, help me!

“Genie, stay with me.”

She felt pressure on her chest. She shut her
eyes to the pain.

“Genie, can you hear me? It’s me, Rafael. I’m
here.” His breath came heavy against her face, and she felt his
heart pounding as he repositioned her against his chest. “Do you
hear that, Genie? Those are sirens. The cavalry is here.”

She dragged her eyes open, her gaze filling
with the man she loved. “Rafa…” Her lips formed his name and she
heard it whispered.

“
I’m
here,
querida
,” he
responded softly. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Rafa… I love…” The pain stopped her from
finishing her thought. She cringed, curling into a ball.

“Shh, don’t speak. You’re going to need your
strength.” The drumming of his heart ushered her into a state of
relaxation and her eyes drifted closed. “Genie…”

****

Rafa sat next to Genie’s bedside, both legs
twitching up and down. The door opened. Winters entered slowly, his
face ashen. He motioned for Rafa to join him near the door. Rafa
stood, his eyes on Genie’s relaxed face, her breathing only
slightly labored by her wound.

“What’s the latest on the suspects?” Winters
asked.

“Huera was pronounced dead at the scene, but
Montenegro survived with minor cuts to his face and arms,” Rafa
answered quietly, his eyes again on Genie, hoping their voices
wouldn’t wake her.

“He’s the one who went through her front
window.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What’s Green’s prognosis?”

“She needed a blood transfusion, but the
blade missed her heart. She’ll make a full recovery. May take a
couple of weeks, though.” Rafa breathed out a sigh of relief. If
anything had happened to her… He wouldn’t consider it now; all that
mattered was her recovery and he'd be here for it.

“Well, Detective Santiago, I guess I have you
to thank for saving one of my star detectives.” Winters placed his
thick hand on Rafa’s shoulder and gave it a shake.

“No thanks necessary, Lieutenant Winters. I’m
just grateful I was able to get there in time. Any updates from the
FBI?”

Lieutenant Winters grunted. “Where have they
been this entire time? I’m going to have strong words with Agent
Compton whenever he gets here. I got a call from the FBI during the
attack. They received a tip from a local hotel employee who
recognized both Hera and Montenegro from a picture one of their
agents showed them. They had rented a room last night and checked
out this morning.”

“What about tangibles? Any receipts?”

“They paid in cash, but their vehicle was
registered at the front desk.”

“Let me guess, blue sedan?”

“Right.”

****

Genie tried to focus on the conversation Rafa
and Lieutenant Winters were having, but the pain from her shoulder
complicated her concentration. She squinted her eyes at the
reflecting bright lights of the hospital that bounced off the
equally white walls.

“I think she’s waking up. Genie? Genie.” A
rough thumb gently glided over her forehead, and into her hair.
“Let me see your eyes.”

She heard Rafa’s familiar baritone in a
whisper and dragged her lids open.

“
Oyé
,
morena
. How are
you feeling?”

The smile and dimples greeting her lifted her
heart. She rotated her head to view him more fully, and the muscles
in her shoulder contracted, causing her pain. She moaned.
“Rafa?”

“Hey. It’s about time you woke up. You had us
all worried there for a second.”

“What… what happened?”

“You were stabbed, that’s what happened.”
Winters came and stood on the other side of her bed. The irritation
in his voice caused her to smile. “How are you, Eugenia? The docs
say you’re going to be able to get back to work in a few days.”

“Weeks,” Rafa countered, his voice holding
annoyance.

“Huera’s… Huera is dead?” Her mind recalled
the earlier conversation between her boss and Rafa.

“He is. We’ve got Montenegro in custody and,
as always, the FBI will probably swoop in and take credit for his
capture, but not if I can help it.” Her boss puffed, hands on his
wide hips.

“Montenegro?” she asked.

“In this hospital but not on the same floor.
He had a few cuts that needed stitching. As soon as he’s
discharged, he’ll be taken down to the county lockup,” Rafa
answered.

Genie’s eyes met Rafa’s, her mind summoning
the past events at her house — her shattered front window, the body
lying still on her floor. “You put him through my window?”

Rafa chuckled. “One solid punch.” He held up
his right hand. Genie reached out to touch his bruised knuckles.
They were warm, defined, and solid. Her arm, heavy due to the
effects of her medication, dropped with a thud back on to the
fuzzy, white hospital blanket.

“Always so arrogant,” she whispered, smiling.
He gave her a grin that spoke of personal satisfaction.

“Well, Green, get some rest,” Winters spoke.
“I’m going to see if I can get in touch with this Compton fellow.
We need to give them an update on their case. Whichever one of you
feels up to it, get me a write-up of tonight’s events within
forty-eight hours. Genie, get well and Santiago, I’ll leave her in
your care.”

Genie’s eyes followed her boss out the door
and came to rest on dark eyes that stared back at her with
concern.

“Are you feeling any better?” Rafa asked
again.

“I think so.” She shifted the weight of her
shoulders and grunted at the pain. “But not enough to do that
write-up.”

“I hope you’re not trying to get up.”

Genie smirked. “No, just trying to get
comfortable.”

Rafa gazed at her lips. “Well, at least these
still work right.” He leaned in and planted a slow kiss on her
lips.

“Don’t stop,” she croaked, barely finding her
voice after such a kiss.

His dimples deepened, and he drew a lone
finger down her cheek. His eyes darkened with a mixture of anger
and desperation. “Genie, tonight, when I saw that knife…”

“
Please
don’t.” She closed her eyes to him, but couldn’t block the memory.
Her dark house, and the menacing figure she fought; the way it
moved like a shadow always within reach, and never relenting. What
the other victims must have felt to be pursued by such monsters.
She winced as she remembered the blade cutting through her t-shirt
and then her skin. The sting had seared right through her, and she
almost wondered whether the knife had been heated. The pain of it
being wrenched from her chest barely registered as every nerve in
her body cried out against the assault. But God had rescued
her.
Thank
you, God!
She was alive
and would heal, and those responsible for the deaths of the others
would face retribution. Huera had already paid the ultimate
price.

“Genie, are you in pain? Do you need me to
call the nurse?”

She tried to put on a brave face, her lips
weakly upturning. She opened her eyes, taking in his concerned
face. “Yes and no. I’m alright. It’s just this horrible throbbing
in my chest. It won’t stop.”

Rafa frowned. “I’m sure it will feel that way
for a few days, but at least everything else checked out okay,
including the knot on your head.” He lightly fingered the tender
bump on the right side of her head.

Her head! She remembered falling after being
shoved against her front door. She didn’t have a clue what she hit,
possibly the small table situated against the wall below the
mirror. Just one more thing to be eternally grateful for and she
said another silent prayer of thanks. A head injury could have been
deadly serious. “I have a hard head. Ouch!” She pressed too firmly
against the lump.

“You’re hard-headed, alright.” He laughed and
leaned over, brushing warm lips over the swelling. Genie marveled
at how the pain in her head suddenly decreased. Perhaps she was on
too many meds…

His face hardened, his eyes serious yet hazy
as his gaze leveled on her lips. The look of desire in his eyes
tingled her with warmth. Genie blinked back a rush of hot tears.
God had taken care of her. He had removed Jeff and sent someone
else into her life … someone perfect for her.

“Genie…” He planted a light kiss on her
forehead. She watched as his dark eyes stormed. “Rest. I’m going to
talk to Montenegro.”

****

Rafa took the elevator down to the third
floor and marched into Montenegro’s room. He slammed the door.
Montenegro jumped and let out a groggy moan. “Wake up!” Rafa jammed
his hands down on the bed frame and shook it.

“Stop,” Montenegro moaned.

“Come on, Nicolas. Man up. All you have are a
couple of stitches.”

“You put me through a window!”

“Whose fault is that? What were you doing at
Detective Green’s house?”

Montenegro swallowed and inched lower beneath
the blankets. He trembled and Rafa read the fear in his eyes. This
was not the Montenegro he remembered when he first came out to
California. “We were supposed to kill her, like we did Diego’s
girlfriend.”

“Why?”

“We wanted you. Thought you might need
convincing if you were setting a trap. It was all to get to you.”
He sniffed. A shaky hand covered his eyes. Montenegro exhaled
sharply. After glancing at the ceiling, their gazes met.
Montenegro’s eyes watered. “What’s going to happen now?”

Rafa couldn’t believe it. The man was afraid,
but of what he wasn’t sure. Would the Snakes want him dead for his
failure? Most likely. Did he fear prison? Whatever scared him could
be used as leverage.